VW’s recent diesel emissions cheating scandal settlements will be put to good use.

VW diesel emissions cheating scandal has cost the company hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements and now that money will be made available for emissions reduction technology investment in California and Connecticut.

In California, the California Air Resources Board plans to use the $423 million National VW Environmental Trust to invest in clean vehicle technologies.

In a similar move, Connecticut will be making $7.5 million from the VW settlement available for projects that would reduce NOx emissions in his state.

A partial settlement with Volkswagen and the State of California has created the $423 million National VW Environmental Trust Fund. From this fund, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) is allocating $90 million for zero emissions heavy-duty freight and drayage trucks and an additional $70 million for zero emissions port equipment and marine projects. zero emission public transit and school buses will get $120 million which is the bulk of the money.

VW, the car manufacturer was found guilty of using cheat devices that allowed its diesel-powered vehicles to pass emissions testing that violated the Clean Air Act. Volkswagen agreed to pay the U.S. a penalty of $1.45 billion for violating the CAA and set up a $2.92 billion trust to go towards zero emissions vehicle infrastructure and technology. Zero emissions public transit and school buses will get $120 million which is the largest chunk of the available funding.

Connecticut is making its $7.5 million settlement funding available through the state’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection for projects that would reduce NOx emissions.

About 600,000 VW 2.0L and 3.0L diesel passenger vehicles sold in the U.S. were using the emissions test cheating software, of which 87,000 were sold in California.

Volkswagens has since apologized and admitted to rigging some 11 million diesel vehicles worldwide. Although there is now way of knowing how much environmental damages those vehicles caused, at least now some of the damage can be rectified through the use of the settlement money.